In The Name of Secrecy
by Lost Betwixt Worlds
Summary: Everyone has secrets. But when the ones around you have secrets as dangerous as yours,life can get complicated..FAST. When two worlds cross, the secrets kept may actually be what destroys them all.
1. Chapter 1

**In The Name of Secrecy**

_**By: Lost Betwixt Worlds**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my imagination and make no money from writing fan fiction. All recognized characters belong to their proper creators while I own Kelly, Matt & this storyline.**_

_**Story Rating: M for Mature content. Basically I write WHAT my Muse tells me to write, WHEN she tells me to write and she is not one to be real forthcoming with specifics (which means I'm further in the dark than my readers). So I'd rather be safe than sorry.**_

A/N: Alright my dears here is a story that takes me once again OUT of the Twilight Saga realm and into a completely different direction. I have been quietly working on this for some months now and even though I already have a number of fanfics in progress, I am putting this out there for your reading pleasure.

For those of you too young to remember a series called KINDRED : THE EMBRACED, you can find the series on youtube. It was short lived but good

and was actually a (still is to my knowledge) Role Playing game called THE MASQUERADE.

The Highlander is a series that everyone knows (again youtube if you're too young to remember) **The one with Adrian Paul as Duncan, not Christopher Lambert who plays Conner**.

_**Now I am going to say this one time and one time only, so pay close attention.**_

_**I DO NOT work with a Beta by choice and while I TRY to have all my facts straight, errors DO, CAN & probably WILL occur. I am human and all humans make mistakes. I also try to catch spelling mistakes, but I am NOT perfect & even the spell checker can miss or screw things up.**_

_**Calling GLARING errors to my attention in a POLITE way is appreciated, but if you are going to nitpick or be rude then don't bother because you might get a side of me you WON'T like.**_

_**So with that said and out of the way, I hope you enjoy.**_

**Summary:**

**Everyone has secrets. Some secrets are kept so that those around you can be safe and live their lives never knowing the dangers around them. But when the ones you are trying to protect have secrets as dangerous as yours, life can get complicated...FAST.**

**When two worlds cross, the secrets kept may actually be what destroys them all.**

_**Cross Over of:**_

_**Kindred: The Embraced**_

_**Highlander**_

**Chapter 1**

I could not believe that I was in California, let alone Los Angeles.

My cousin Matt had called and invited me to be his roommate and I was so anxious to get away from New York that I had said 'yes' before actually thinking it through.

Mac and Richie were not thrilled to say the least. Of course with everything that had gone on in the last two years it was understandable.

Perhaps I should explain.

My name is Kelly Spencer and I am 19 yrs old, well sort of. When I was 17 yrs old my High School Gymnastics Team traveled from our state of Virginia to New York City to take part in a competition.

Problem is, we never made it. Just as we hit the city, our driver fell asleep at the wheel and sent us over a bridge and into the water below. Everyone including me was killed. The irony was that I didn't stay dead. When I woke up I was in a morgue and there were two men standing near the slab I was on.

_Flashback_

"_It's alright Lass we're not here to hurt you." stated a man with shoulder length dark hair and a Scottish brogue._

"_Where am I? What happen and how the hell did I get here?" I asked as I sat up clutching a sheet to my naked body._

"_My name is Duncan McCloud of the Clan McCloud and this young man is Richie." stated the man._

"_As to what happened, your bus crashed and you died. But you have a special gene inside of you that will heal any injuries you receive and so you live."stated McCloud_

_I just kind of stared_

"_Essentially you will never die again unless you lose your head. Literally."he continued_

"_So I'm a vampire?" I asked_

_Richie laughed and tried to cover it up with a cough when McCloud shot him a filthy look._

"_No Lass you are not a vampire although they do actually exist."he continued_

"_What you are is Immortal and as long as you don't lose that pretty head of yours, you should live for a very, very long time."_

"_I'm Immortal?" I asked not really sure if he was serious or just full of shit._

"_Aye."_

_Richie decided at that moment to stick his two cents in._

"_What Mac is trying to say is that you will never have to worry about dying from illness or injury unless your head gets taken off. But at the same time you can still get hurt and will still have to do things like eat, sleep and so forth. Although the down side of it is that you will never age so you will have to move around a lot and you can't have kids."he said_

_I looked at both of them wondering if the Mental Hospital was missing a couple of patients._

"_Here Lass put these on and we'll get you out of here and someplace where we can explain what's happened a little better."replied McCloud as he held out a pair of faded jeans, sneakers and a simple peasant top along with undergarments and socks._

_I got dressed while McCloud and Richie turned their backs to give me some privacy._

_When I was done we left the morgue and headed to a Diner so that I could eat._

_End Flashback_

It took time, but eventually I accepted my new life and the loss of my old one.

Since everyone had to believe I died with my team mates, Mac had documents made up for a new identity and proceeded to train me to fight with a sword so that I could defend myself if another Immortal came for my head.

While there are not a great deal of Immortals roaming the Earth, there are enough and when we fight, we do so to the death for in the end there can be only one.

The rules are real simple...

Avoid fighting in the presence of regular 'mortals' because they can't know we exist.

No fighting on Holy ground (churches, graveyards, etc.). If it's been blessed none may fight while on it.

Don't let your head get separated from your body otherwise it's all over and whatever knowledge you have passes to the Immortal who took the head.

The last rule means the difference between survival and destruction and the transfer of memories is called the quickening. Trust me when I say that shit hurts like hell, but is part of the package.

While I've had my share of fights, Mac and Richie tend to have to fight on a regular basis. The upside is that we have a sort of 'early warning system' that alerts us to the presence of other Immortals.

Richie and I had gotten close and he was pushing to take our relationship to the next level. Something I was not honestly ready for and even Mac had told him to back off but Richie tends to be a bit thickheaded at times.

So when Matt called (no one informed him of my 'death), I jumped and while Mac wasn't happy, he knew that I was capable of handling myself should the need arise.

He did make me promise to go to Holy ground should the I encounter a situation that I couldn't handle and then call him.

I promised and he gave me his blessing.

Richie on the other hand told me I wasn't going and I told him to fuck off. Like I said the guy is thickheaded.

So here I am.

Matt had sent me the address of the club he was working at and I hailed a cab as I left the airport.

The cabbie dropped me in front of an upscale club called EMBRACE.

I told the Bouncer at the door that I was there to meet my cousin who was an employee and he pointed me towards a table holding three men and a beautiful woman.

As I walked towards the table I heard Matt's voice coming from the stage and was shocked to see that he was working as a singer.

Stopping even with the table I stood there and listened. When Matt was done he spotted me and bounded off the stage to grab me in a bone crushing hug (thank god I heal fast).

The people at the table just sort of stared at us in confusion.

"Kelly you made it!"hollered Matt spinning me around.

"What you thought I'd flake on you Matt?" I asked "By the way, I need to breath you big oaf and it's a little hard to do so with broken ribs and a punctured lung."

"Oops sorry I sometimes forget my own strength." chuckled Matt as he set me back on my feet and let go.

"When did your plane land?"he asked

"About two hours ago and I grabbed a cab to head straight here. Your boss isn't gonna flip out and fire you because I came here is he?" I asked in seriousness because I really didn't want him to lose his job over this.

"Don't worry my dear, his job is secure." replied the woman from the table.

Matt spun me to face the table and I got a good look at them.

"Kelly I'd like to introduce my boss Lily"stated Matt pointing to the woman

"This gentleman is Julian Luna her partner"he said pointing to a well dressed man in his early to mid 30's.

"This gentleman is Dadelous"pointing to a man who was very pale, dressed in a conservative suit and bald despite looking all of 28 or 29 yrs old.

"And this young man is Cash who is in charge of security."stated Matt pointing to a young man who was probably no older than 21 or 24, had shoulder length hair pulled into a low ponytail and the most scrumptious looking...

_'Whoa Kelly_ _reign that shit in you are NOT here to find a boyfriend and he works with Matt._' I told myself sternly.

"Everyone this is my cousin Kelly. She moved here from New York City to be my roommate."stated Matt with his arm across my shoulder.

I didn't miss the frown that crossed Lily's face for a split second, but I would deal with that info later. Right at this moment my warning system was kicking in and the last thing I needed, was dealing with my secret in front of Matt and his superiors.

If I needed to use my sword, I was screwed since it was currently in my bag that the Bouncer had (unlike Mac I didn't walk around in a trench coat hiding my sword).

The warning was going all sorts of shit crazy which meant that this bozo was packing experience. I needed to get him outside and away from prying eyes in order to deal with this.

"**Fuck.**"I cursed none to softly causing Matt and the others to look at me in concern.

I spotted him at the same moment he spotted me and the bastard smirked.

_Francois Durmaine_

I was fucked big time.


	2. Chapter 2

**In The Name of Secrecy**

_**By: Lost Betwixt Worlds**_

_**A Kindred: The Embraced & Highlander crossover**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination. All recognized characters belong to their proper creators, while I own Kelly, Matt & this storyline.**_

_**Story Rating: M for Mature Content which means that since my Muse hasn't seen fit to tell me where this is all headed I need to take precautions instead of chances.**_

**Chapter 2**

Of all the damn rotten luck. Francois Durmaine had to show up not only here in LA but at the same damn club as me. What were the odds?

The last time I saw him, I had been six months into my new life and Mac had forced me onto Holy ground so that I wouldn't have to fight. My inexperience would have made me an easy kill.

Francois had sworn he would see me again and it looked like it was time.

Cash looked at my face and then turned to face the direction I was looking in.

"Kelly do you know that man?" asked Cash nodding his head ever so slightly in Francois's direction.

I realized he was sending Bouncers.

"Yeah I know him and your people need to stay clear. The guy is trouble with a capital T and I would hate for someone to get hurt."I said

"I'll deal with him outside so that there is no trouble in here and no one gets hurt." I told Cash as I laid my hand on his arm and nodded my head to the door signaling Francois.

"I'll come with you." stated Cash

"No Cash, I need to do this alone."I said in a firm voice

"Excuse me for a moment please."I said before swiftly heading for my sword.

Grabbing the long bag that held my sword I exited the club and spotted Francois leaning casually against the corner of the building.

I followed him as he made his way into an empty building that sat across from Lily's club.

"Well little one we meet again."drawled Francois as he removed his coat and pulled his sword from it's sheath.

I shrugged and removed my own sword that Mac had made for me.

This had to be a new record for me. I hadn't even been in the damn state for more than a few hours and I was having to deal with one of my kind already.

Methos would go through the roof thinking this shit was funny.

I took a calming breath to focus when I heard a sudden noise.

Francois's head whipped up and I looked over my shoulder since my back was to the door (note to self: when updating Mac, do NOT mention having your back to the door).

Standing in the doorway was Julian, Dadelous, Cash, Lily & Matt. Adjusting my stance to accommodate looking at them and keeping Francois in my line of sight to avoid him catching me off guard I growled out "This is a private matter and I'm telling you all to return to the club."

Julian looked me up and down and then addressed Francois "I don't know who you are, but I will not allow you to cause Kelly distress."

Francois just smirked.

"Julian while I appreciate the gesture, I am a big girl who can take care of herself. Please just take Lily and the others back to the club and I'll join you all in a few minutes."I implored

I didn't want to have to fight in front of them because then I would have some serious explaining to do and knowing Matt he would have a hard time coming to terms with me being no longer mortal.

The split second of inattention was all Francois needed as he came charging at me.

"NO!" yelled Cash coming towards me.

I propelled myself into the air going up and over Francois's head and landing lightly on the balls of my feet.

"Stay where you are Cash."I ordered "Whatever happens don't interfere understand?"

I turned my full attention to the task at hand.

Mac had trained me in not only swords but martial arts as well and my gymnastics skills were a huge asset.

While Francois had a good 300 yrs on me, he was not really all that good and I wondered briefly how he had survived for so long.

I paced myself and after what seemed like forever I found the opening needed to end our fight and drove my sword through his heart. As Francois dropped to his knees and dropped his sword I spoke the words Mac had instilled in me through all my training.

"**I am Kelly McCloud of the Clan McCloud. Daughter of Duncan McCloud the Highlander and there can be only one."**

As the last word crossed my lips I swept my sword in an arc and cleaved Francois Durmaine's head from his body. Moments later the quickening began and raced through the building short circuiting the electrical system before finally engulfing me. When it was done I fell to my knees gasping for breath.

I repeat..._That shit fucking __**HURTS**__!_


	3. Chapter 3

**In The Name of Secrecy**

_**By: Lost Betwixt Worlds**_

_A Kindred: The Embraced & Highlander crossover_

_Disclaimer: I own nothing other than my imagination. All recognized characters belong to their proper creators while Kelly, Matt & this storyline belong to me._

_Story Rating: M for Mature content simply because I have NO CLUE where this is all going to lead (my muse says 'write' so I write and I gave up trying to pry specifics from her a LONG time ago)._

**Chapter 3**

I fell to my knees as the quickening slowed and heard rather than saw as my sword fell from my hand and hit the floor about the same time I did. No matter how many times it happened, there was no way to get past the initial pain the quickening brought, and the gasps of breath did little to actually bring any oxygen into my burning lungs.

As the pain receded I looked over towards Matt and his friends and knew that I was going to have a LOT of explaining to do.

"Kelly!"exclaimed Cash and Matt at the same time, although it was Cash who reached me first and helped me stand.

"I'm okay guys, just a little tired and sore."I told them trying to be nonchalant about it.

"Kelly who the hell was that guy and what the hell just happened?" asked Matt going straight for the heart of the matter.

I noticed that Dadelous, Julian & Lily were rather silent and seemed content to wait until I was ready to explain. Looking at Matt I asked "If I said he was nobody and nothing happened would you let it go?"

Matt crossed his arms over his chest and narrowed his eyes in answer.

"Yeah I didn't think so." I responded as I reached down and picked up my sword and then headed for the case. "If there is somewhere without ears that we can talk and I can get something to drink and off my feet, I'll explain." I said as I pulled a cloth from the bag and wiped my sword before placing it in the bag and securing the zipper.

"Kelly you didn't have that when you came into the club." stated Lily as she eyed the bag in my hand.

"Actually I did Lily. It was left with the bouncer at the door and before you ask, no he didn't know what was in the bag."

Dadelous just cocked his eyebrow at me.

"I wasn't expecting trouble and didn't want to be rude by bringing a weapon into the club."I stated simply.

Cash looked from me to my sword and back before he asked "What were you expecting if not trouble?"

"Honestly Cash?" I asked

"Honestly." he asked

"To be able to be in the damn state for more than a few lousy hours before having to deal with the likes of Durmaine. Mac is gonna flip his lid and I'll be lucky if I don't find myself on fucking holy ground by this time tomorrow because of this jackass." I fumed as I jerked my thumb in Durmaine's general direction.

"Speaking of your _dead_ friend, we need to dispose of the body." stated Matt.

"Umm yeah, that's not really something you have to worry about Matt."I stated as a sudden flash of light flared around the body causing everyone to shield their eyes.

A few moments later the light dimmed and revealed an empty space where there had been a body.

"Kelly what happen to the body?"asked Cash

Shrugging my shoulders I started for the door saying "One of the perks of Immortals fighting to the death is there's no evidence to ever prove a fight happened."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Twenty minutes later I was seated in Lily's private office with a large cola (I rarely drink alcohol since like regular mortals it effects us although not to the same extent) and six pairs of eyes looking at me like I was either an escaped mental patient or someone who had no clue how to dress in polite society.

I took a large swallow of my drink and asked Matt the question that would make or break the next words spoken.

"Matt you didn't speak with anyone in our family about me recently did you?" I asked

Matt shifted slightly with a worried look on his face and I groaned burying my face in my hands "SHIT!"

"Kelly relax I haven't spoken to anyone in the family in about two years and was about to ask you the same question."replied Matt softly.

"Excuse me?" I asked thinking I had misheard him.

"The last time I talked to anyone in the family was was just before you left with your Gymnastics Team for New York and I was kind of surprised to find you were there instead of at home in Virginia." stated Matt

I quickly did the math in my head.

"So wait you've been here in LA for a little over two years?"I asked

"Yeah." stated Matt with a sheepish look.

"With no contact to either my folks or yours?" I prodded

"Well I didn't leave on the best of terms Kelly or did you forget the shit I went through with Bruce and my mom?"he asked with confusion in his voice.

"Then no one told you what happened?"I asked

"Kelly what the fuck! Just tell me what the hell is going on. Are you in some sort of trouble? Is that the reason for the sword and those crazy ass moves in the building across the alley?"Matt yelled as he advanced quicker than I remembered him ever being able to move.

I was up and in a fighting stance before he was halfway across the room. That stopped him short and we both just stared.

"Kelly please what's going on with you?"Matt asked softly

I straightened up and looked at my cousin in sadness "Kelly Julie Spencer died two years ago Matt. _I died_ along with my teammates in a bus accident before we ever got to the meet we were headed for."

"Well you look rather alive to us." stated Cash

"It's a little difficult to explain and I really don't understand it all myself, but suffice to say that I am no longer _human_."I stated knowing full well I would have to explain.

"Lost little cousin." replied Matt while everyone just kind of stared.

"Long story short I am what is referred to as an Immortal."I said simply

"Like _vampire_ immortal?"asked Matt

"No I'm not a vampire Matt." I laughed "I can go out in the daylight and all that good stuff, although Mac says that most vampire myths are just that _myths._What I am is someone who will never die from illness or disease. I will never grow old or have children and the only way for me to die is if another Immortal were to take my head like I did to Francois Durmaine."I stated.

"Matt how old did Durmaine look to you?" I asked

"I don't know. Maybe in his early thirties if I had to guess." stated Matt with a confused look.

"He may have been in his thirties when he became an Immortal, but he has been or should I say had been around for over three hundred years." I said with a sigh as I sat back down and stared at my cousin waiting for him to either go ballistic or have a meltdown

The others I didn't know and so couldn't gauge what their reactions would be. On the other hand I KNEW what Mac's reaction would be and that was not really something I was looking forward to.

Ever since waking up to this life it had been drilled into me by McCloud, Richie, Amanda and Methos that secrecy was what kept us alive and out of the hands of the government or others who would think nothing of using our kind for experiments or as weapons.

Thinking of Amanda made me want to call her and confess my fuck up, but that meant she would call Mac and if he had to hear what happened from her I was so far up shit creek I could only PRAY he would take my head (Mac being pissed at you is bad and when you're immortal a grudge can be carried for a LONG time).

"So you're telling me that you've had no contact with anyone in the family since you left for New York?" asked Matt

_Ok not the response I was expecting_

"No Matt, they all think I'm dead." I stated sadly

"But your phone?" he asked

I snorted "Yeah I kind of forgot about it until you called. I kept it for sentimental reasons and never really thought about how someone could actually reach me through it since I was sure that the service would be disconnected after awhile."

I shook my head and let out a small chuckle "Mac was fit to be tied when the damn thing rang and it was you. I thought he was gonna take my head off right then and there."

_flashback_

"_Dammit Lass concentrate or you're as good as dead." growled Mac as he flipped me and shoved his katana against the side of my neck._

_Had it been his sword I would have been as good as dead and I knew it._

"_Sorry Mac I've just got a lot on my mind right now. I can't seem to keep my focus." I told him as he extended his hand to help me up._

"_**That** is what will get ye killed Lassie."stated Mac "Want to talk about it? Or should I let you and Richie duke it out on the mat?"he asked half joking/half serious_

"_That obvious?" I asked_

"_Aye."stated Mac simply_

_Soft music drifted from my workout bag startling us both._

"_Kelly when did you get a phone?" asked McCloud in confusion_

"_I didn't...holy** FUCK.**"I exclaimed as I dove at my bag and yanked the phone from it's pocket._

_I just stared at it dumbly for a moment before hitting the answer button "Hello?"_

"_Kelly long time no talk little cousin." came Matt's voice over the line._

"_Matt?"I asked in stupidity_

"_Who the fuck is Matt?" growled Richie from the front door of the Dojo that Mac ran._

_Mac just looked at me with a frown that said loud and clear 'You are in trouble Missy.'_

_end flashback_

"Kelly you've mentioned this McCloud person before, but we have no idea who he is." stated Julian "Did he turn you into an immortal?"

I shook my head "Immortals are not made by other Immortals Julian. Like I said it's a bit difficult to explain since I can't wrap my head around the mechanics of it. Mac or Methos would be able to explain it better since they've been around longer."

Julian looked at me blankly.

"From what I understand, there is a rare gene that is triggered when certain individuals die from an unnatural death. Basically your body heals itself and you wake up and carry on business as usual, _kind of_. The down side being that if there are witnesses then questions arise and problems become plentiful." From their confused looks I could see I wasn't doing a good job of explaining.

"I died in the accident that killed my teammates and woke up in the morgue. Mac and Richie were nearby when the accident happened and _sensed_ the presence of an Immortal. They got to me before the Coroner was able to and made it look as though my body had simply combusted."I stated

"Excuse me?"asked Matt

"Don't ask Matt. I didn't want to know, so I don't have all the details and I never want to know, because it's just to weird." I told him

"As to WHO Mac is, his name is Duncan McCloud of the Clan McCloud born in the Scottish Highlands back long before the days of Queen Elizabeth I. Other Immortals call him Highlander and he is both feared and sought after. Many Immortals come after him thinking that if they can take the head of the Highlander they will be feared."

" I take it most fail?" asked Dadelous

"Yeah."I stated "I'm one of the lucky ones to be on Mac's good side and there are only a handful of us. But when it comes down to the line there are no friends and as I told Francois there can be only one. Which means there can only be one Immortal left."

"So this McCloud would take your head without a second thought."asked Julian

"Yeah, and he knows that I would put up a hell of fight and try to take his head also."I stated sadly "The sad part is that Mac trained me and knows my weak points. He's got age and experience, where as I am still considered a baby, and babies don't really last too long in this life. Without his guidance I would have been dead barely six months in, so I owe him a lot. At the same time I'm not stupid or naive enough to believe that if it came down to it he would spare me and would expect no less from me."

"And here I thought I was going to have hard time explaining my new life. Shit Kel, I've got life easy compared to you." stated Matt

I just looked at him in confusion.

"On that note cousin, I think **you** just lost **me**." I stated


	4. Chapter 4

**In The Name of Secrecy**

_**By: Lost Betwixt Worlds**_

_**Kindred: The Embrace & Highlander: The Series crossover**_

_**Disclaimer: I own nothing other than what my imagination comes with and make no money from writing fan fiction. All recognized characters belong to the their rightful creators. Kelly & Matt belong to me.**_

_**Story Rating: M for mature content and the fact that I have no real clue where things may wind up going since my 'Muse' prefers to keep me in the dark and I have given up trying to pry answers out of her.**_

**Chapter 4**

"Julian she's my cousin and considering the circumstances..." began Matt as he looked between Julian and Lily and then looked at me.

"The circumstances are unusual Julian, but I feel that we would have nothing to fear from Kelly knowing considering that she herself has a secret to hide."mused Dadelous as he studied me.

I wasn't real sure what they were talking about, but something told that Matt had a secret that was almost as big as mine. While I was curious, I knew that I would respect his not telling me even though I had taken a risk of revealing myself to him and his friends.

Would Mac be pissed? Probably, but that was something I would deal with if and when the time came. Until then it was not a big enough issue to get me worried and if it meant spending the next three or four centuries sitting my ass on holy ground then so be it cause I sure as HELL was not joining a Convent.

Methos was the only Immortal I knew who was content to sit on holy ground rather than going out in the world.

The guy had been a monk when he died and found it a little difficult to embrace the whole 'there can be only one' concept and didn't enjoy taking heads (not that he wasn't a hell of a swordsman, he just didn't like killing if he could avoid it). The only time he ever left his conclave was when he visited Mac for a few weeks every year.

Amanda on the other hand was a firecracker and we had almost come to blows when we first met. She had been Mac's lover for some years and had a bit of a problem with _sticky fingers_. I had returned to Mac's loft apartment to find her sifting through my things and already had my sword drawn because I had sensed someone who wasn't Mac, Richie or Methos and if Mac hadn't appeared when he did I'm still not sure which of us would have survived.

I was brought out of my thoughts to the sound of a scuffle taking place in the main club area and turned to join Cash and Dadelous as they viewed the area through the one-way glass.

A bear of a man dressed in a snappy suit was getting a little rough with some guys who were dressed similar to Cash.

"Brujha." stated Cash in contempt.

"They came looking for trouble Julian. They do not have their women with them." stated Dadelous.

I had a niggle starting that could only mean trouble and I wondered if I had pissed off someone important to have to deal with two Immortals in one night. The thought had barely passed through my brain when I saw the flash of a short sword.

"**Damn! **Whoever your friends are they've got one of my kind with them and he's got an itchy arm." I yelled as I grabbed my sword and headed for the door "I'll try to draw him into the alley to avoid exposure."

Things got a little scattered as patrons spotted the flash of metal and panicked and it seemed that the _Brujha_ Cash had spotted were taking advantage of it to create more havoc.

The man with the short sword turned in my direction as people started pushing past him and I smiled while beckoning him with a crook of my finger. I pushed open the fire door and slipped through certain he would follow.

He didn't disappoint.

"Well now aren't you a pretty little thing." drawled the guy as he entered the alley right after me.

I crossed my sword in front of me and stated in a cold voice "I am Kelly McCloud of the Clan McCloud. Daughter to Duncan McCloud the Highlander. Why do you reveal yourself to the mortals and endanger innocent lives?"

"I am Jason Milarno and if you think I care about those _sheep_ in there child then you have not been schooled properly." he sneered

Cash and Dadelous chose that moment to open the fire door and throw snappy dresser out so that he landed in a heap at Jason's feet. Julian followed the men into the alley with Lily not far behind and had I been mortal I would have been pissing my pants they looked that scary.

"Explain yourself Brujha." demanded Julian in a hard voice.

"I owe you nothing Ventru scum." growled snappy dresser.

Cash had him slammed against the brick alley wall quicker than I could almost follow and I eyed Milarno wondering if he was going to try something stupid.

"You are talking to your **PRINCE** Brujha trash and you **WILL** show respect!" growled Cash.

"You're companion is obviously going to play stupid so you may want to explain yourselves before I take your head Milarno." I stated in a cold voice.

Richie called it my _Bitch Mode_ when I got like this. Truthfully I didn't really care. I was tired and not happy having to deal with an Immortal who thought nothing of exposing our kind simply for shits & giggles.

"Your whore doesn't know her place Gangrel."spit snappy

"Watch your mouth asshole."growled Cash as he shoved the guy into the bricks a little harder.

"You have endangered The Masquerade and the Conclave as well as innocent lives and for that your life is forfeit." stated Julian with no remorse.

"What say the Troubadour?"asked Julian with a glance at Lily

"Forfeit." stated Lily in a cold voice.

"What say Nosferatu?"asked Julian glancing at Dadelous

"Forfeit." stated Dadelous

"What say Gangrel?" asked Julian looking at Cash

"Forfeit." stated Cash as he looked at me and asked

"What says Immortal to the revealer of her kind?"

I glanced at Cash before looking at Milarno and stating "Forfeit. For there can be only one."

Dadelous joined Cash at the wall as the Brujha started to yell for mercy and I took a few strides farther into the alley so that I could use my sword with no chance of hurting my new friends.

A short time later we were all back in Lily's office and I was sipping on a Jack and Coke (at Lily's insistence). Turned out that Milarno was not much older than I to this life and the Brujha had been brought into his life without permission from the Prince of his people aka Julian Luna.

Matt and a few of the others had gotten back on stage to calm the crowd down and some of Cash's boys had dealt with with the other Brujha.

Since I had revealed my origins, Julian allowed for me to have knowledge of Kindred or as regular humans called them vampires.

If I thought my life had been complicated before just by becoming an Immortal, well, I was obviously delusional.

The revelations from the evening showed me that my life was going to be so far off into left field after tonight that even the most hardened soldier would more than likely run for cover.


	5. Chapter 5

**In The Name of Secrecy**

**By: Lost Betwixt Worlds**

**A _Kindred: The Embraced & Highlander : The Series _crossover**

**Disclaimer: **I do not own either Kindred or Highlander and I am simply playing in someone else's sandbox. No copyright infringement is intended in any way/shape/form. I own nothing save my own imagination, this storyline, Matt & Kelly.

This story is rated** M for Mature subject matter** **i**ncluding but not limited too...foul language, sex (of any kind), violence . There will NOT be any illicit drug use discussed or even hinted at since I do not approve of that sort of thing due to personal history. If any mention is made in regards to Domestic Violence or Rape, it will not be in direct connection to the main characters or the storyline (just a little FYI before any_one goes & gets their knickers in a damn twist)._

_A/N: Ok granted this story is not getting a whole lot of love, but I am not going to throw a fit or even break a sweat over it. At this point I will continue writing & posting for this story simply because I can & want to. Most of what I write is Twilight, but this story 'harps' at me so I do what's needed to shut it up (D_oes that make me sound crazy? Probably. Do I care? That would be a big fat **NO**!)

**Oh one LAST thing before I set you lose...IF YOU ARE NOT OVER the age of 18...**

**GO AWAY!**

**Nothing against the age group, but I don't need to have someone pitching a fit cause their 'baby' read something that wasn't flowers, lollies & sunshine. Even MY kid is not allowed to read this.**

Ok got that off my chest so here's your chapter. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5: Immortal Boyfriends are a PAIN IN THE ASS **

It had been a number of weeks since I arrived in California and met my cousins 'new' family. It was kind of weird really because Matt seemed more at ease with his life within the Kindred then he ever had when he was mortal.

I had discovered that there were different Clans that made up the Kindred.

**The Ventru** **Clan **were like a combination of Business & Philanthropist (I really can't explain it any other way), and sort of the TOP of the whole thing. Julian was the 'Prince', which basically made him head honcho and the final say in most matters. Pissing him off was really bad for your health in more ways than one.

**The Troubadour** **Clan **which was lead by Lily was basically made up of artists (Musicians,Painters/Sculptors,etc). This was the Clan that Matt claimed loyalty to, although all Clans claimed loyalty to the Ventru & Julian.

**The Brujha Clan** were for the most part Business men who ran things like the Unions and so forth. Personally I thought they were a bit on the sexist side, since they considered women to be their property.

**The Nosferatu Clan** who actually looked like the vampires from those old 1920's or 1930's movies. They were the 'Enforcement Squad' so to speak and usually carried out any sentences that required death for the Clans in a quiet way.

**The Gangrel Clan** was a bit of an enigma within the Kindred world. They were basically the muscle and were made up of street kids (at least that's the persona they put off). They were true shapeshifters and embraced their inner wolf. While most Kindred could shift into the form of a wolf, it was rare. Gangrel shifted a lot. They were not usually loyal to any one clan, but because of the close bond that Julian and Cash shared, the Gangrel Clan was more likely to be seen standing WITH their Prince rather than against.

I had a sort of 'run in' with the so called leader of the Brujha Clan whose name just happened to be Eddie, a few days after I got into town.

_Flashback _

I had agreed to meet Matt at the club before opening and listen as he and the band went through their sound check. Lily was upstairs in her office with Julian and a number of Cash's boys were setting up the Bouncer areas, although Cash himself was no where to be found at the present.

I walked into the club as a number of the guys wolf whistled in appreciation and I flashed them all a smile. "It's Friday night guys and the start of a four day weekend, so it should be smoking in here tonight." I called as I headed for the stage. A resounding 'Hell Yeah' echoed through the club as Matt jumped off the stage and planted a kiss on my cheek. "I swear if I didn't know any better you could easily pass for either Ventru or Troubadour with the way everyone responds to you Kelly." he stated.

Smiling and planting a kiss on his cheek in return I stated " No disrespect to either Julian or Lily, but I prefer my sword to deadlines and record deals."

"Yeah I have to admit that I'm still just a tad freaked over the whole immortal and can't die unless you lose your head thing. You were short tempered when you were mortal and now that your not completely 'alive' you scare the shit out of even me and I'm a vampire. If I honestly had to choose between pissing off either Cash or Dadelous to getting my ass handed to me by you, I'll take them." stated Matt with honesty.

"If she is handing someone their ass boy then she has not been shown her proper place in our world." replied some creep with muscles that rivaled the Twilight character Emmett Cullen, a pockmarked face and a shitty buzz cut.

"I don't know who your Barber is dude but you should ask for a refund cause your hair looks like shit." I stated giving him the once over and walking away.

Idiot grabbed my arm (ok so I TRIED to walk away give me SOME credit at least) and pulled me towards him.

"An attitude. I like my women with a little fire, but don't worry little one you will soon learn your place." stated creep.

I looked at Matt and jerking my thumb at the moron who still had his hand wrapped around my upper arm asked "Is this dipshit for real?"

"Hands off Eddie. She is my cousin and under Julian's protection. None are to harm her." growled Matt.

"Oh is the little boy going to bite me?" jested Eddie "I'm SOOOO scared." he barked out and the morons with him all started laughing.

All right time to put 'buzz' and his boys in line and show them that pissing me off was not in their best interests.

Grabbing hold of the thumb of the hand that Eddie had wrapped around my arm, I gave a swift jerk up and back causing him to release his hold and as soon as that happened I twisted his whole hand around and back causing him to drop to his knees. With a hard jerk I pulled his hand and arm around towards his back at an angle that would have already caused a mortal to howl in agony since either or both the hand and arm would have been broken.

Leaning forward I hissed in his ear "For future reference shithead my name is Kelly McCloud and I have no plans of being 'your woman' now or in the future. If you EVER pull your little stunt again, I have no issue cutting you down vampire and I highly doubt that there are many who would stand in my way. Scum like you should be left to rot at the side of the road, not granted immortality. If you are tired of 'living' give me a ring, otherwise stay the fuck out of my way." I waited for him to acknowledge that he had heard me before releasing him with a hard shove forward.

I noticed that Lily and Julian had come downstairs and that Cash was standing near the back door looking pissed.

"Think I'm gonna get some air Matt, the air in here is a little too smelly." I stated as I pecked my cousins cheek and headed for the back door.

Cash looked pissed and I wasn't sure if it was me he was pissed at me or the Brujha (it was well known that neither clan could stand the sight of each other and having them together in an enclosed space for any length of time was just begging for trouble ).

I stopped at the door and quirked my brow at Cash. "Are you alright Kelly?" he asked.

"Peachy thanks." I stated.

Cash gave a stiff nod and walked towards Julian.

_End Flashback_

That had been over six weeks ago and he (Cash) had barely spoken two words to me since.

I had called Mac like I had promised, albeit a few days AFTER I got into town. He was slightly miffed, but seemed to accept my half ass excuse of 'trying to get settled in.'

While I did tell him about Francois Durmaine, I avoided telling him all the parts that would have gotten my ass a one way ticket to Holy ground personally served by McCloud himself or worse his cousin and fellow Clansman Conner who just HAPPENED to be in California. Just not in the LA area at the moment. I also avoided telling or even coming close to mentioning that I had not one but two fights in the same night. That would have gone over like a lead balloon and if I ever thought that McCloud was unreasonable at times, Conner was three times worse. The guy may come off as all meek and mild, but the truth is he is one scary SOB and if it came down to either of us being the 'last', I'd cut my losses and offer him my head. I really had no wish to fight the man I saw as an Uncle, just as I had no wish to fight the man I saw as a father. Come to think of it, I was screwed no matter what.

But getting back to Cash.

Matt had come home a few nights ago sporting a few fresh fight marks. When I asked him what had happened he shrugged and said that he and Cash had gotten into it. He refused to give me any details as to what had started the whole thing and told me to 'butt the hell out.'

None of the guys in the band would tell me anything and Lily simply said that she was staying out of it unless it caused a bigger issue. Asking any of the Gangrels was out of the question since Cash was their Alpha or Clan leader (depending how you looked at it...in all honesty if it looks like shit, smells like shit and smears like shit, then it is shit ).

The non answers of the last few days were starting to grate on my nerves and I decided that if I wanted answers than I was going to have to corner Cash. Either he would give me the answers or I would beat the crap out of him.

Standing on the balcony of Matt's apartment, I realized that I had not done a single training exercise or any meditation since arriving in LA and that if I wanted to keep myself in check I would need to get back to my normal routine. Finding a Dojo that was decent in the area might be an issue, so tomorrow I would call Mac and ask him if he knew of one that would work well. If not then I would have to see about finding a quiet out of the way place since the apartment that Matt & I were sharing was a little on the small side and definitely more 'public' than I could afford.

"You look beautiful standing in the moonlight with the wind in your hair." came a husky voice that I knew didn't belong to my cousin. My 'alarm' had not gone off, so it wasn't another Immortal or at least not an Immortal of my kind.

"Should I ask how you got in or do I not want to know?" I asked not bothering to turn around.

"Matt gave me his spare key with the understanding that if I hurt you he'll turn me into a crispy kritter." stated Cash softly as he came to stand behind me and rub his hands up and down my arms softly.

I felt a cold chill travel down my back and settle somewhere in my lower regions that had nothing to do with the chill of the night air.

"I think you and I both know that Matt is nothing more than a big softy and that his bark is far worse than his bite." I stated as I twisted so that Cash and I were face to face.

With no words Cash leaned forward and captured my lips with his. The kiss started off gentle at first and then morphed into something akin to a raging fire. I found myself leaning into him and my hands seemed to have a will of their own as they traveled up his back and entangled themselves in his hair.

He was pushing me back into the balcony rail and had one arm wrapped around my waist while the other was entangled in my hair.

Breaking the kiss so that we could both breathe, he trailed his nose along my jaw line and down my neck nipping at my aorta along the way. I simply leaned my head back to give him better access and let out a low moan.

"I have been wanting to do that since the first night I laid eyes on you Kelly. I have dreamed of kissing you and having you in my arms and now that I have the real thing I don't want to ever let you go." stated Cash as he returned to my lips and kissed me softly.

Breaking the kiss, I leaned back to catch Cash's eye and asked "Is that the reason Matt came home sporting bruises and a shiner not to long ago?"

"Kelly, Matt has already made it known that he is not happy about my interest in you. The fight was pretty much how we established the ground rules when it came to you." stated Cash with a heavy sigh.

"Ground rules?" I asked not bothering to hide the irritation in my voice. "I think you need to explain these _ground rules_ before I introduce everyone to my bitch side." I stated as I stepped back and then around Cash to enter the apartment living room. My brain was going a mile-a-minute as I planned out all the different ways I was going to hurt my cousin for trying to run my nearly non-existent love life. I was NOT going to deal with another Richie and would not hesitate to move out if this was the shit he was going to pull.

"Slow down kitten and retract the claws." stated Cash as he caught my arm and swung me around to face him. Most would shrink away from the filthy look I was currently sending his way, but Cash simply loosened his grip while bringing his other hand up to caress my cheek softly.

"I am not one to settle on one single girl, mostly because I haven't found the right one yet. Now before you jump to conclusions and assume that I bed a lot of girls, the truth is that there have only been two girls that I have ever been intimate with and they are both dead." stated Cash as he looked me in the eye "I will admit to falling for Julian's niece Sasha and thinking that maybe she was the one, but she was embraced against her will by a Brujha and even though I tried, any connection we had disappeared after that."

Anything that I had planned to say was wiped from my mind with that tidbit. "I thought that any embracing had to be cleared by Julian before it happened?" I stated in slight confusion.

"While that is true, there are times when embracing is done without the Prince's permission and before any punishment is handed out, the facts are looked at carefully. The only reason Julian didn't take Eddie out completely is the fact that Sasha asked him to show mercy for her sake." explained Cash.

"Wait, are you telling me that the moron who accosted me a few weeks ago in the club and in charge of the Brujha Clan is the same one who embraced Sasha without permission?" I asked. "One and the same." stated Cash.

"Why the fuck would Julian let that asshole continue to exist after pulling a shit stunt like that." I fumed knowing that I now had no reason to hold back should Eddie ever cross my path again.

"Kelly, stop." Ordered Cash "I see the gears turning in your head sweetheart and while I will not step in should Eddie overstep his mark and you hand him ass, you can not go gunning for him."

"Cash, he embraced someone without permission. Jesus, the girl was/is the Prince's niece and that alone should have gotten him killed. Julian letting him live is like a slap in the face to all Kindred." I ranted

I had met Sasha albeit only once, and she seemed to be someone that I could see being friends with. Never had I realized that she was Brujha Clan since she came off as more than a little wild and didn't exactly dress like the rest of her clan who all wore business suites regardless of the occasion.

Cash pulled me up against his chest and tilted my face up towards his. "Kelly the only reason that Eddie still lives is because Sasha asked her Uncle to spare him, she made her clan choice even though any of the other clans would have taken her in and Julian offered her sanctuary if she wanted it. She made her choice baby and we accept it. If at anytime she chooses to accept her Uncle's offer, then Eddie will be taken out but until that time there is nothing anyone can do.

Cash held me to him and ran his hands gently up and down my back to help me calm myself. Kissing the top of my head, Cash proceeded to tell me what had occurred to bring about a fight with Matt. I realized that while Matt was not really trying to run my life, he was simply concerned since I wasn't actually Kindred. While it was sweet and the boys came to an understanding that should one of them 'hurt' me, then the other had freedom to hand the offender his ass in spades. I was still a little miffed.

We spent the rest of the night cuddling on the couch and engaging in a hot'n'heavy makeout session while watching cheesy horror movies like Hellraiser/Halloween/Friday the 13th/Nightmare on Elm Street (the original).

I would deal with my cousin later and vowed that if Eddie even looked at me wrong his ashes would be delivered to Julian in a flowerpot. Thoughts of Richie, McCloud, Conner or anything Immortal was pushed to the back burner. Right now I had a yummy Gangrel to occupy my thoughts and hormones and nothing else mattered.


End file.
